The invention relates to a balancing chamber of an internal combustion engine cooling system and more particularly to a multi-piece balancing chamber which has a transparent upper portion about the normal fill level of coolant, whereby the level of coolant in the cooling system can easily be observed.
In the case of a water chamber known according to German Offenlegungsschrift DE-OS No. 27 09 940 of a construction that has a plastic water chamber for a radiator of an internal combustion engine, a transparent window is arranged or cast during manufacturing into the wall of the balancing chamber that is otherwise integral with the water chamber. Since the main part of the balancing chamber is largely opaque, the coolant level is hardly visible against the dark interior of the chamber and can therefore not be reliably observed from the usual viewing distance.
It is the objective of the invention to develop the partially transparent chamber is such a way that the coolant level is always more clearly visible from the usual viewing distance.
In order to achieve this objective, a plastic water chamber means is integrally connected to a first portion of a balancing chamber means which balancing chamber means has an upper transparent portion connected to the first portion at a level below the normal range of coolant levels in the balancing chamber means. In this manner, the monitoring of the coolant level corresponds to a monitoring that is carried out with a fully transparent chamber that is arranged separately from the water chamber without having its additional space requirements and construction expenditures for its multipart development, for connecting lines and fastening elements. In addition, the invention makes it possible to, on the one hand, develop the water chamber so that the bottom part of the chamber is made of a high-strength fiber-reinforced and therefore opaque plastic material and to, on the other hand, construct the transparent upper part with a pressure-proof approximately circular cross-section.
The combination with the suggestion according to German Patent Application 34 30 115.1 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,596, issued Feb. 9, 1988 that relates to a balancing tank with a pressurized chamber and an atmospheric chamber, results in a development in which the coolant level in both chambers is clearly visible, and the constructional expenditures for the additional balancing and storage chamber is restricted to the additional requirement of material and an additional simple lid.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which shows, for the purposes of illustration only, one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, and wherein: